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Wednesday, August 9, 2017

It's the second Wednesday of the month, which means Shay and I are WORKIN' IT. Every month we share ways we "WORK" a topic...whether it be laundry to keeping kiddos busy in the summer to decorating for the holidays...we share what works for us. (And even some things that just don't work.) We invite you to join us the second Wednesday and share how you WORK IT as well.

Today, we're talking about how we gear up for BACK TO SCHOOL.

If you had asked me last week if I was ready for school, I'd have quickly said, "NO". But this week things are changing. ha! My kiddos are bickering more, everyone's almost over the pool, the days are hot, and that means one thing-it's time for school to start!

This summer has been full of super late bedtimes, even later morning wake-ups, all the snacks (everyone is always hungry around here), and absolutely no schedules. I must say it's been glorious, but it's time for us to know what day of the week it is. :)

This is how I WORK at getting my people ready for school to begin in late August.

*BACKPACKS*

The first thing we do is order BACKPACKS. I made the mistake Ebby Lee's kindergarten year and waited until just a few weeks before school to order her backpack (with her name embroidered on it) and I had to pay a ridiculous amount to expedite it to ensure it arrived in time. Now we order backpacks in July. :) During preschool days, they recycled backpacks and used the same one their entire preschool careers (they went two days a week) but at elementary school when you're using your backpack every single day they begin to get gross and dirty. In the past we've always ordered from Pottery Barn Kids. They have a variety of sizes, tons of different designs, and are all so cute. I must say Nixon was conflicted and kept telling me he wanted an Under Armour backpack instead, but when we began the hunt for those they didn't look near as fun. We went back and forth and finally he found one he really liked at Pottery Barn Teen. He's far from teen years but just keep that option in mind if your kiddo isn't finding one they like. Ebby Lee opted for a purple floral and Nixon found a black camo.

*BACK TO SCHOOL CLOTHES*

I'm not sure about where you live but here summer weather will be hanging on until late October. I typically don't go crazy stocking up on BACK TO SCHOOL CLOTHES because we'll still be wearing mostly summer clothes for a few months. I do add a few things to their closet and we always choose something new for the first day of school. Then when it gets cooler-usually in October-I stock up on fall clothes.

Ebby Lee's go-to clothes for back to school are Matilda Jane and Nordstrom. These two places make dressing an eight-year-old easy. They both have tons of items that are both cute and modest-very age appropriate. She still prefers a dress over pants any day and loves a ruffle (even a ruffle pant) like no other. Because of her love for a dress, she always wears Monkey Bar Buddies.

For Nixon and Bowen we tend to go to Under Armour or Nordstrom. We can find almost anything at Nordstrom (so I have to mention them again). The boys are pretty easy...we get a few new shirts and a few new shorts and they're set!

The big kid's school has a rule that on p.e. days you must wear TENNIS SHOES. We make sure to start the year with one new fresh pair of tennis shoes for each kiddo.

*ALL THE ORGANIZATION*

You know that reset button you can push on Monday? Well there's nothing better than the reset button of a new school year. This mama is on TOP of her organizational A game when school starts. Granted, by May 1st I don't even know my own name, but in August, I'm Mrs. Organized. I have every sports' practice, appointment, and special event highlighted in my planner. My favorite planners are these from Erin Condren.

You know what else I'm on top of in August? MY DINNER COOKING GAME! I have all our dinners highlighted in my planner, have my grocery lists all ready to go, and am ON it! My favorite cookbook is Eats...you need this one in your life. And I have a feeling this is gonna be our new BFF, we should go ahead and pre-order Simmers RIGHT NOW! (Yes, a cookbook full of slow cooker recipes out on October 1st!)

*WATER BOTTLES*

My big kids think they've outgrown the Nalgene water bottles so we got them each a S'well water bottle for the upcoming school year. Water bottles are something we tend to lose little pieces to...that little part that makes the water not leak when you turn it upside down...where do those go? (Those little plastic things are partying some where in my house with random socks!)

*FIRST DAY BREAKFAST*

After all that, Moms-I hope you made yourself some fabulous plans for the first day of school. I always meet a group of ladies at a local breakfast spot as a little send off to school. You should do something fun. You deserve it! :)

What about you? What do you do to gear up for back to school? I hope you join us next month when we chat about transitioning our wardrobe. Happy Wednesday! XO

The swell water bottles is a great. We tend to lose, break parts to the other kind. We have the PB backpack and my dauhters has had the same one for 4 years and it looks great. I spray it down with stain remover and wash it on cold and it looks new again! Enjoy your last week of summer, we are already back in school

I am so not ready for back to school. This year my oldest will be in kindergarten and my heart almost can't take it. I know she will be fine and love school but it also means she's growing up. I'm looking forward to planning a fun back to school breakfast and then hopefully meeting up with friends for coffee and breakfast like y'all do.

LL Bean backpacks are AMAZING! They are indestructible and washable, my kids have a number of different styles/sizes and we use the same one for years. I have one child starting high school today using a LL Bean backpack from 5th grade. I just used oxi-clean and threw in the washing machine to clean it up, it's good as new.

Love that you do a moms breakfast, I think I might have to do that this year with my friends :). we just got new shoes too, I couldn't believe how much my kids feet have grown since we have been living in flip flops all summer! xoxo ERIN

My church sponsors a Latte encouragement brunch each year for mamas. I spoke last year as a young adult mama who's been through those elementary and college years tears. I've also heard of groups hosting a boo hoo brunch on the first day of school. So glad God gives us friends. Happy back to school.